Attendance & Absence

Attendance & Absence

 Article 28: All children have the right to an education

Grafton Primary School is committed to providing a full educational experience for all pupils. We believe that if pupils are to benefit from education, good attendance is crucial. As a school, we do all that we can to ensure maximum attendance for all pupils. Any problems that prevent full attendance will be identified and addressed as speedily as possible.

Please find the link to our full Attendance policy which reflects the new guidance  from the document ‘Working Together to Support School Attendance 2024’ which became statutory in August 2024.

Statutory Duty of Schools

The Education Act 1996 requires parents or guardians to ensure their children receive efficient, full-time education, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise. Schools are responsible for recording pupil attendance twice a day; once at the start of the morning session and once during the afternoon session. An entry must be made in the attendance register for all pupils of compulsory school age who are on the school’s admission roll.

Absences

Authorised absence

An absence is recorded as authorised when a child has been away from school for a legitimate reason (e.g. being unwell) and the school has received notification from a parent or carer. Only the school can make an absence authorised. Not all absences reported by parents will be recorded as authorised.

Unauthorised absence

An absence is recorded as unauthorised when a child is away from school without good reason and without the permission of the school.

Holidays

Grafton Primary School have adopted the Local Authority Policy and do not authorise holidays taken during term time.

Any unauthorised absences, including holidays, may result in a Fixed Penalty Notice Fine of £80 per parent per child, rising to £160 if unpaid. Please see our ‘Request for Leave in an Emergency’ form which can be found below, and must be used for any requests for term-time leave.

Response to absence

If a child is absent, the parent must contact the school office via phone (0203 727 5171) or email (attendance@graftonprimary.co.uk) by 8.30am wherever possible. The parent must contact the school on every day of absence.

If any child has not been registered or the school has not been notified about a child’s absence, a member of the attendance team will contact the parent/carer on the first day of absence.

If the parent notifies the school of a child’s reason for absence, but the child continues to be absent, then the parent must contact the school to let them know. If we do not receive a message from a parent then an update check will be made by the school in the form of a phone call or home visit by our EWO (Educational Welfare Officer).

If the child continues to be absent for more than three days due to sickness/illness, school will require confirmation from the GP to clarify this absence. Forms are available for the GP in the school office.

If an absence is unexplained, the school will contact the parents for an explanation. If no reason is forthcoming, a phone call or home visit will be made by our EWO.

Any absence considered not to be a justified reason will remain unauthorised.

A series of unauthorised absences will result in a meeting with our EWO and a senior leader.

Anything below 90% is considered by the LA (Local Authority) as being persistently absent from school. Anything below 50% is considered by the LA to be severely absent from school.

Where children have persistent or severe attendance problems, the EWO will invite parents/carers into school to a meeting to discuss how we can support their child with improving their attendance.

Punctuality 

Doors are open from 8.45am. Registers are taken promptly at 8.55am.

Lateness is classed as any child coming into school after 8.55am and doors are closed at this time. If your child arrives after this time, they will need to enter through the red door at the side of the main reception area, where their name and class will be taken. Any children that arrive late will have a late mark (L) recorded on the register and parents will be sent a punctuality email later that day. Any children who arrive after 9.15am will receive a ‘U’ code, which counts as an unauthorised absence.

Where children have persistent lateness problems the EWO (Educational Welfare Officer) will invite the parent/carer into school to a meeting. If there is no improvement in punctuality the matter will be referred to the Local Authority. Persistent late collection after school may also result in a referral to Children’s Services where appropriate.

School finishes at 3.10pm (Reception) 3.15pm (Key Stage 1) and 3.20pm (Key Stage 2) and parents/carers are expected to collect their children promptly.